Mendocino College Announces Auditions for Eight New Plays

Ukiah, CA – The Mendocino College Theatre Arts Department will hold auditions for the eight new plays that have been selected to be produced this spring in the Fifth Annual Festival of New Plays.

The eight plays, each with an approximate running time of ten minutes, will be directed by student directors under the guidance of theatre professor Reid Edelman and writing professor Jody Gehrman.

After putting out a call to the community, Edelman and Gehrman received over seventy original scripts from local writers. Some were students in the college’s English and theatre classes, and some were writers in the area who decided to submit their work. “We’re extremely pleased,” says Gehrman. “Once again, the entries were wonderful—the quality of the submissions seems to be getting better and better each year! Deciding which ones to produce was extraordinarily difficult.”

According to Edelman, “This annual festival of new plays has become a highlight of the college theatre season.” In recent years, the festival has played to sold out audiences. “I think the public will really enjoy these performances, but even more importantly, the collaboration between directors, actors and playwrights provides an invaluable learning experience for everyone,” says Gehrman.

Open auditions for all seven plays will be held Monday April 9 from 6-9:30 PM in the Little Theater on the Mendocino College campus. All interested actors should arrive at 6 PM and plan on staying until the auditions end at 9:30 PM. The auditions will involve reading short scenes from the selected plays. No preparation or experience is required for the auditions; however, scripts for the new plays are on reserve in the college library for those who wish to read them before auditioning. Performances are scheduled for May 18 and 19 at 8 PM. For more information, please contact Reid Edelman, 468-3172 or redelman@mendocino.edu.